History

Important Early Christian site. The nationally important pre-Conquest cross-shaft (Irbici) (Scheduled Ancient Monument: GM 209) stands to SW of church. Present church consecrated 1866. Designed by Samuel Charles Fripp, architect of Bristol, and built by David Jones of Penarth at cost of £2,600, its polychrome brickwork and Gothic Geometric style influenced by Butterfield's church of St Augustine in nearby Penarth.

Exterior

Gothic Revival church. Plan of nave with small W porch, N and S aisles and SE tower over organ chamber, short chancel and N vestry. Built of snecked rubble lias limestone with freestone dressings; slate roofs with crucifix finials to gable apexes, moulded kneelers, coping, parapets, corbelled eaves, low buttresses with stepped coping. Windows are pointed-arched, main ones with Geometric tracery of roundels incorporating trefoils, quatrefoils and cinquefoils, with hoodmoulds. Low buttresses with stepped coping; plinth.

W front has a wide 5-light traceried window over shallow gabled porch which has continuous roll-moulding to the pointed entrance arch; inside are brick facings, a large C18 tombstone and segmental arch to W door; lancets to aisle ends. S aisle with separate roof pitch has three 3-light traceried windows. The tall and dominating SE saddleback tower has roundels in apex, paired louvred lancets below; 2-light or single traceried louvred openings to belfry; string courses; at ground level at SE is a narrow shouldered doorway up 6 steps and stairs down to basement. Chancel has lancet at SE and 4-light E window with pronounced moulded sill band. Vestry at NE has a similar wider doorway and further stairs to basement. N aisle similar to S aisle.

Interior

Interior of red brick with polychrome brick decoration, notably in the spandrels of the nave arcade, and yellow freestone dressings. 6-bay nave roof of arched- braced trusses, rising from corbels and pierced with quatrefoils; lower longitudinal beam, boarded ceiling. 3-bay arcades comprising round piers, roll-moulded arches and wide capitals in cornice form; no clerestory. At SE the doorway to organ chamber is Romanesque in style and possibly incorporates Romanesque chevron moulded masonry; plain imposts. At SW and standing on a stone and tile platform is the font, a plain round bowl with conical cover. Boarded floor except for flagged aisles. At SE nave an old chest; at NW a Royal Arms. Pointed moulded chancel arch without piers, the inner moulding rising from corbels with foliage enrichment. Plain stone pulpit with foliage band. Chancel has ribbed roof, moulded band to walls continuing over vestry door. Father Willis organ in chamber to S retains plaque Henry Willis and Sons. Wooden reredos incorporates a war memorial; chancel stalls 1934.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a prominent Gothic Revival church by a regional architect occupying an important Early Christian site.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• St Dochdwy's Church at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q97403861

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record